Psychology
The Role of Religion in Shaping Immigration Attitudes
Quick fact
Across Western Europe and North America, regularly attending religious services is often associated with a warmer attitude toward legal immigrants, but countries where religion is central to national identity tend to have more restrictive immigration attitudes overall. This shows religion works at two levels: personal belief and social context.
Why this is interesting
You might assume that being more religious makes you more welcoming to strangers, since many faiths preach hospitality. But public opinion polls show a surprising pattern: sometimes the most religious people are the least welcoming to immigrants. Why is that?